Van Oord has been awarded the contract for the transport and installation of the monopile foundations for the Nordseecluster offshore wind project in Germany by RWE. The 1.6 GW wind farm cluster is expected to generate enough renewable energy to supply the equivalent of 1,600,000 German households, according to the company's release.
This project award is a major milestone for Van Oord because it will be the first project for the brand-new offshore installation vessel Boreas, which is currently under construction. Van Oord’s scope includes the installation of 104 extended monopiles as well as the installation of the scour protection. In 2025, 44 monopiles are planned for installation in 2025 and the remaining 60 monopiles in 2027.
The Boreas will be the largest offshore installation vessel of its kind, purpose-built for the transport and installation of the next generation foundations and turbines for offshore wind farms. The jack-up vessel, with a crane capacity of more than 3,000 tonnes, can install up to 20 MW wind turbines at sea. It has the capability to fully operate on methanol, drastically reducing its carbon footprint.
Green methanol is one of the most promising future fuels as it is produced using only renewable energy sources. As such, it can reduce the carbon footprint of Boreas by more than 78%. This is in line with Van Oord’s ambition to reduce emissions and to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.